Cats

Chronology of Coverage

Jul. 28, 2015

Dr Jennifer L McDonald study published in journal Ecology and Evolution finds that British pet owners emphatically reject notion that cats have negative impact on wildlife, and most would not be willing to restrict their cat's access to the outdoors in effort to protect environment. MORE

Jul. 10, 2015

Animal trainer Samantha Martin brings her 14-cat circus Amazing Acro-Cats to New York City for first time, performing at Muse in Brooklyn. MORE

Jun. 8, 2015

Over 10,000 people attend CatCon convention in Los Angeles to see celebrity cats, attend speeches and shop for cat-related merchandise; convention was organized by cable television producer Susan Michals in hopes of breaking down negative stereotypes about feline enthusiasts. MORE

Apr. 18, 2015

Debate is brimming between bird watchers and feline lovers over feral cat colony on Jones Beach that some say threatens existence of piping plovers, endangered shorebirds that nest in sands of coastal beaches. MORE

Mar. 29, 2015

Julia Baird Op-Ed article applauds Taylor Swift for obliterating spinster stereotype of women who own cats; contrasts negative public perception of woman and her cat with the generally positive perception of a man and his dog; notes that research suggests that pet owners are less lonely, happier and more fit. MORE

Feb. 10, 2015

Study in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences suggests extinction of many species endemic to Australia has been caused by introduction and procreation of feral cats and red foxes starting in late 1800s; lead author Prof Jon Woinarski of Charles Darwin University holds 10 percent of Australia’s land mammal species have been wiped out as result. MORE

Jan. 16, 2015

Christina Ha and Emilie Legrand have opened Meow Parlor, New York City's first cat cafe; visitors pay to spend time in room full of cats who want to interact with humans. MORE

Jan. 9, 2015

New York State Supreme Court Judge ShawnDya L Simpson dismisses charges of torturing and injuring an animal brought against Brooklyn man Andre Robinson after he was caught on video kicking stray cat; cites lack of evidence that cat was seriously injured; lesser charges remain in place. MORE

Dec. 16, 2014

Cat Town Cafe & Adoption Center in Oakland, Calif, is first permanent cat care in United States; customers have adopted 52 cats so far; it costs $10 an hour to play with cats. MORE

Nov. 25, 2014

Op-Ed article by genetics expert Razib Khan observes similarities in the genetic development of domesticated cats and modern humans; holds both species have changed as their environments became more predictable, and that the evolution of domestic cats was powerfully shaped by the environmental impact of humans; says humans can best know who they are by taking note of how they have reshaped--and been shaped by--those nearest to them. MORE

Nov. 15, 2014

French police search outskirts of Paris for large feline, estimated at weighing at least 100 pounds; officials say cat, which some residents initially thought was a tiger, is not dangerous, but many citizens stay indoors out of fear. MORE

Oct. 2, 2014

Andre Robinson, Brooklyn man who was charged with kicking a cat, pleads not guilty to misdemeanor animal cruelty charge; attack was captured on video that later went viral. MORE

Sep. 30, 2014

Andre Robinson of Brooklyn, who posted Facebook video of himself kicking a cat, has unwittingly placed himself at center of impassioned growing debate over animal rights; faces a year in prison on misdemeanor abuse charge; with pressure from animal rights activists, prosecutors in New York City and across the country are pursuing abuse cases more aggressively, but defense lawyers say the punishments go too far. MORE

Aug. 1, 2014

Jun. 3, 2014

Apr. 16, 2014

Practice known as trap, neuter and return has become preferred way to deal with exploding population of tens of thousands of stray and feral cats in New York City; over 5,500 volunteers help with efforts; animal advocates point to greatly reduced numbers of cats taken to shelters for adoption or euthanasia as a sign of success. MORE

Mar. 31, 2014

Letter from Ingrid E Newkirk, president, People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals, comments on March 23 Richard Conniff Op-Ed article about the dangers of outdoor cats. MORE

Mar. 30, 2014

Popularity of cats on the Internet has helped diminish old stereotype of the 'cat lady,' lonely woman who lives on her own with one or more cats. MORE

Mar. 29, 2014

First documented cases of people catching tuberculosis from their cats are revealed in England, but TB experts there and in the United States reassure pet owners that they have virtually nothing to fear; officials say the four human cases in or around Newbury, England, were all related to cluster of sick cats, and event is exceedingly rare. MORE

Mar. 23, 2014

Op-Ed article by author Richard Conniff notes that the trend away from pet owners keeping outdoor cats is being driven in part by a growing sense of alarm about the dramatic decline in wildlife populations, particularly birds; details other drawbacks to widespread ownership of outdoor cats. MORE

Dec. 19, 2013

Cat fan Kate Benjamin has created her life and business around cat-related design and interior decorating; her blog Hauspanther describes itself as 'online magazine for design-conscious cat people' and a consulting business built around tailoring one's living space to cats without sacrificing aesthetics is forthcoming. MORE

Dec. 2, 2013

Nonsurgical sterilization treatments for dogs and cats are emerging that could reduce or even eliminate the need for traditional neutering. MORE

Nov. 19, 2013

Jack Tseng study in Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences reports discovery of set of big-cat fossils thought to be oldest ever found and belonging to previously unknown species known as Pantherine blytheae; fossils may help solve longstanding mystery about origins of big cats. MORE

Nov. 5, 2013

Science Q&A lists substances that are toxic to cats and dogs but not to humans. MORE

Oct. 25, 2013

Internet Cat Video Festival, featuring reel of more than 90 clips, makes its New York debut on October 25. MORE

Sep. 12, 2013

Tool Kit column highlights new Innovative pet-monitoring devices and tools that help ease pet owners’ concerns about what their animals are doing while home alone. MORE

Aug. 31, 2013

Trailside blog; New York City mayoral candidates weigh in on whether it was wise to shut down train service in Brooklyn on August 30 to search for two kittens roaming the tracks; their answers are revealing, reinforcing established perceptions of the candidates. MORE

Aug. 30, 2013

Power is shut down and service on the B and Q trains is suspended for two hours after kittens escape from their owner at the Church Avenue subway station in Brooklyn; service is later restored after cats are rescued with help of New York Police Department. MORE

Aug. 20, 2013

Aug. 16, 2013

Since the annual Day of the Hermitage Cat was apparently not enough, Hermitage Magazine commissioned portraits of the cats that patrol the basement of the museum. MORE

Aug. 11, 2013

Chuck Klosterman The Ethicist column on throwing out infant-formula sent by mail in order to encourage breast-feeding and responding to apartment neighbor who lied about one's cat. MORE

Jul. 26, 2013

Holland Cotter reviews exhibition at the Brooklyn Museum that explores the role of cats, big and little, feral and tame, celestial and not, in ancient Egypt. MORE

May. 24, 2013

A population of ownerless cats have roamed around the Pratt Institute for decades, and Conrad Milster, the chief engineer of the school’s steam plant, is fighting to allow them to stay. MORE

Apr. 28, 2013

Liesl Schillinger reviews several books about cats, which seem to be the theme of 2013. MORE

Mar. 27, 2013

National Audubon Society reinstates Ted Williams, longtime magazine columnist who was suspended after he wrote a piece in another publication identifying Tylenol as effective poison for feral cats. MORE

Mar. 5, 2013

Cats are notoriously difficult to train for stage acting, and director Sean Mathias has had trouble casting one for key role in upcoming Broadway adaptation, by Richard Greenberg, of Breakfast at Tiffany's. MORE

Feb. 12, 2013

Advertising column; Litter Genie, cat litter box product that was introduced in 2012 by Energizer Holdings' Playtex division, is subject of series of promotional videos on YouTube. MORE

Feb. 5, 2013

The Week column; report from Smithsonian and federal Fish and Wildlife Service on environmental damage caused by domestic cats raises serious policy questions; other significant developments in health and science news highlighted. MORE

Jan. 31, 2013

Editorial highlights damage done by cats, superpredators responsible for the deaths of more wildlife, including birds, in United States than any other human-linked cause; calls on cat owners to help by not letting their pets loose to roam neighborhoods. MORE

Jan. 30, 2013

Smithsonian Conservation Biology Institute and Fish and Wildlife Service publish study in journal Nature Communications estimating that domestic cats in the United States kill a median of 2.4 billion birds and 12.3 billion mammals a year, far above previously known figures; data indicates that cats are one of the single greatest human-linked threats to wildlife in the country. MORE

Jan. 10, 2013

Potter Siglinda Scarpa runs no-kill shelter for over 250 cats, called Goathouse Refuge, out of her whimsical home in Pittsboro, North Carolina; some of her ceramic designs are inspired by the cats. MORE

Dec. 23, 2012

United States Court of Appeals for 11th Circuit rules that Agriculture Dept can regulate 45 celebrated six-toed cats at Ernest Hemingway Home and Museum in Key West, Fla; says cats fall under jurisdiction of the Animal Welfare Act because the museum uses them as exhibits available to paying tourists; fear of museum owners is that any future changes in federal regulations could upend the museum and the cats. MORE

Dec. 16, 2012

Chuck Klosterman The Ethicist column answers question about ownership of a prodigal cat who returned. MORE

Nov. 8, 2012

Rome Journal; Italy's state archaeologists warns association of volunteers that illegal cat shelter that is set up in ruins of site where Brutus is thought to have stabbed Julius Caesar must go; dispute over shelter reveals clash between tradition and legality that tests Rome's notions of its cultural heritage. MORE

Sep. 25, 2012

Dr Stephen O'Brien study in journal Science reports that the same gene that produces striking dark stripes on tabby cats is responsible for the distinctive spots on cheetahs. MORE

Sep. 1, 2012

Internet Cat Video Film Festival draws an estimated 10,000 people to the Walker Art Center in Minneapolis. MORE

Mar. 18, 2012

Loose Ends column by Choire Sicha, an editor of the Web site The Awl, responds to The Atlantic magazine article on cat's parasites by writing a fake memo from cats to humanity, outlining their intention to fashion a more cat-oriented society. MORE

Mar. 8, 2012

Market Ready Q&A offers homeowners advice on how to make a cat's litter box more appealing when potential buyers come to see the place. MORE

Feb. 18, 2012

Jordana Serebrenik may be New York City's only for-hire-pet-catcher; Serebrenik left law practice to start Catch Your Cat, Etc, service that helps guide New York City cats into carriers and performs other unpleasant pet-wrangling duties. MORE

Feb. 16, 2012

Pet food companies, inspired by the foodie revolution, are introducing high-quality fare for cats and dogs that often surpasses the leftovers and take-out owners themselves often eat; cats and dogs weigh in on super-premium pet foods samples. MORE

{"type":"article","show_header_text":false,"header":"ARTICLES ABOUT CATS","query":"(des = \"Cats\") and tom!=\"Caption\" and tom!=\"Correction\" and tom!=\"List\" and tom!=\"Paid Death Notice\" and dsk!=\"Society\" ","search_query":"(subject:\"Cats\") AND -type_of_material:\"Caption\" AND -type_of_material:\"Correction\" AND -type_of_material:\"List\" AND -type_of_material:\"Paid Death Notice\" AND -news_desk:\"Society\"","num_search_articles":"10","show_summary":true,"show_byline":true,"show_pub_date":true,"hide_thumbnails":false,"show_kicker":false,"show_title":false,"show_related_topics":true,"show_rad_links":true,"show_subtopics":true,"exclude_topics":"CATS","more_on_header":"MORE ON CATS AND:","alternate_index_subidx":"","show_thumbnails":true}

July 10, 2015, Friday

Peter J. Li, a China policy adviser with Humane Society International, discusses the conflict between those who defend dog eating as a Chinese cultural tradition and those who view dogs as cherished companions.